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September 13, 2024

Dear Friend,

Welcome back to my Week in Review newsletter. Please remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube for regular updates on how I am serving the people of South Carolina!

On Wednesday, we somberly marked twenty-three years since the tragic 9/11 attacks. May we honor all the brave men and women who have worked tirelessly to protect us at home and abroad. Let us reflect on our nation’s resolve and the unity we saw across America that day. 

With Congress reconvened, I’m eager to be back in Washington, DC and to collaborate with my colleagues once again! Through championing commonsense legislation that protects the dream of homeownership, defending our allies overseas, and working to protect our borders, I was honored to spend another week representing the great state of South Carolina!

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Hebrews 10:24-25

The Week in Review

A Solution to America’s Housing Crisis

I’m the son of a single mother – growing up, we lived with family until we were able to rent a small place of our own. I know firsthand the importance of access to quality, affordable housing. That’s why I introduced the ROAD to Housing Act, comprehensive legislation to reverse decades of failed housing policies and make targeted reforms across all segments of the U.S. housing market. The ROAD to Housing Act builds on my Opportunity Agenda by prioritizing housing assistance for Opportunity Zones, encouraging housing development in communities that need it most. We must ensure everyone growing up in neighborhoods like the one I did has access to the dream of homeownership. 

Read more about my ROAD to Housing Act here. 

Reaffirm Call for Immediate Release of Dr. Gulshan Abbas

This Wednesday marked the six-year anniversary of Dr. Gulshan Abbas’ unjust imprisonment. I joined 11 of my bipartisan congressional colleagues to reaffirm our call for the immediate release of Dr. Abbas, who is a U.S. citizen. My heart is with her entire family as they endure unimaginable hardship since the imprisonment. No one should be thrown into prison because of their religious or political beliefs.

Click here to read our full statement

Protecting Consumers from Fraud and Scams

Unfortunately, it seems almost daily that I hear a horrible story of hardworking Americans forced to come out of retirement after having their savings wiped out by scams. During this week’s Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Carri Grube Lybarker, Administrator of the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs, testified and provided her expertise on how we can adapt and innovate to improve our technology, education, and other approaches to stop these crimes and protect our most vulnerable—our seniors. Thank you, Ms. Carri Grube Lybarker, for the incredible work you and your team are doing to keep South Carolinians, especially our elderly, safe from financial fraud.

I am grateful to our law enforcement members for their tireless efforts to combat financial crime and protect Americans in communities across the country and for the ways our state financial regulators and financial institutions work to educate consumers against different types of scams.

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Watch my opening remarks here

Protecting the Safety of American Families

This week, I joined Senator Cruz and some of our Republican colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling on them to end a parole program for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan aliens (“CHNV”), due to reports of widespread fraud and abuse, and because the program violates federal law. This program jeopardizes America’s national security and puts the safety of American families at risk. 

Read more about our letter here!

Strengthening and Defending Our Allies

Stretching across three continents and over 35 countries, the Indian Ocean region is critical for global commerce and U.S. economic security. To ensure freedom of navigation and deter threats from an increasingly aggressive CCP, I led three of my Senate colleagues in introducing the Indian Ocean Region Strategic Review Act. This legislation aims to advance our diplomatic, economic, and security interests in the critically important Indian Ocean region by requiring a multi-year strategy and implementation plan for U.S. engagement with regional partners and allies.

Read more about my legislation here!

Sharing the #SCSweetTea

South Carolina State University's Public Service & Agriculture division has led a project to help provide water to a community garden in The Gambia. These students are transforming livelihoods for countless generations. Way to represent South Carolina!  #SCSweetTea

Learn more here! 

In the News:

CQ Roll Call: Scott offers bill aimed at housing supply, affordability

By Mark Schoeff Jr. 

September 12, 2024

Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee want to increase the number of mortgages for low-cost homes and allow private investment in public housing as well as other changes to housing policy.

The provisions are part of legislation introduced Wednesday by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the ranking member of the panel. The measure (S 5027), originally released as a discussion draft in April 2023, aims to address supply and affordability as housing costs contribute significantly to inflation. 

The bill would direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to revise regulations to allow mortgage originators to receive more compensation for mortgages under $70,000 and to encourage additional lending for mortgages under that amount, according to a summary. 

Read the full piece here!

This Week on Social Media:

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Sincerely,

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